Desert Style

$29.95 hardcover 1-58685-173-X May

8 X 10 in, 144 pp, 140 Color Photographs,

W, Design

Desert Style is cool living in hot climates. Based on the idea that a home should exist in harmony with its landscape, author Mary Whitesides shows how materials and textures reflect the land, and how desert hues and cooling tones can be used in beautiful and efficient ways. She discusses how to use flowing and open interiors, patios, and thoughtfully placed windows to extend living spaces outside, enhancing the relationship to the natural world. Desert Style is abundantly illustrated, and offers advice on every aspect of desert living, including building materials, space issues, heating and cooling systems, furniture, paint-even how to choose art that will complement a particular style like Old World Anasazi or High Desert Adobe. Desert Style also includes a section on landscaping and choosing plants for a desert environment, plus information on how to incorporate fountains and reflecting pools into landscaping to create a private oasis for any desert home.

With 140 gorgeous full-color photographs of desert homes throughout the high Rocky Mountain deserts and the Southwest, plus a comprehensive resource listing, Desert Style will have everyone heading for drier ground.

Mary Whitesides has extensive experience with interior design and home furnishings. She created some of the original interiors at the Sundance Resort and was one of the four founding members of the Sundance Catalog. She is the author of Mountain Style, and lives in Park City, Utah.